Apr. 4, 2006 — Omega 3 fatty acids in dietary fish oil are reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombogenic and anti-arrhythmic effects in humans, but the biochemical basis for these beneficial health effects is not well understood. Now a University of Michigan biochemist reports that fish oil significantly diminishes the production and effectiveness of various prostaglandins, naturally occurring hormone-like substances that can accentuate inflammation and thrombosis.

Dr. William L. Smith described his findings on April 4 at Experimental Biology 2006 in San Francisco. His presentation was part of the scientific program of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB).
Dietary fish oil causes its prostaglandin-lowering effects through three different mechanisms, says Dr. Smith.
First, the much fewer prostaglandins are made from omega 3 fatty acids as compared to the other class of fatty acids in the body, the omega 6 family of fatty acids that originate in the diet from leafy vegetables and other plant sources.
Second, the omega 3 fatty acids compete with omega 6 fatty acids for the same binding site on the COX 1 enzyme that converts the omega 6 fatty acids to prostaglandin (which is why the COX 1 enzyme and its COX 2 cousin are the targets of anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen). The more omega 3 fatty acids present to block the binding sites, the fewer omega 6 fatty acids are able to be converted to prostaglandin.

Third, although omega 3 fatty acids also are converted to prostaglandins, the prostaglandins formed from omega 3 are generally 2 to 50 times less active than those formed from the omega 6 fatty acids from dietary plants.

The biochemical basis of other benefits of dietary fish oil -- for example, omega 3 fatty acids' impact on neuronal development and visual acuity -- are probably due to effects on biochemical pathways regulating nerve transmission. Understanding the different pathways through which omega 3 works to convert prostaglandin helps explain why the plant-based omega 6 fatty acids don't simply provide the same benefits. Because of omega 3 fatty acids' known benefits to health, especially cardiovascular health, Dr. Smith's advice is simple: eat more fish.

I have known two of these three things for something like 19 years. Thats why I was looking at omega-3 therapy under the eye of Dr Martinovic in 1993. A lower series 3 eicosanoid (not just prostaglandin) synthesis rate is new though. I have never seen that before. Dr Martinovic was convinced eicosanoid modulation can treat CFS back in the late 80s. His success rate was 60%, with 30% partial success and 10% failure for unknown reasons.

I am still working on eicosanoid modulation. Its not simple or straightforward. I do think high grade fish oil can be very good. Low grade contains too many nasty impurites. Short chain omega-3s such as from plants are likely to create problems though.

I'm trying to figure out why I DON'T get bladder pain within a few minutes of eating walnuts but get this from eating other nuts.
Zyrtec helped this in the beginning but not as much now.

I found that walnuts have more omega 3 than any other nut. The omega 3 from walnuts doesn't stop me from reacting to other nuts eaten at a different time tho. Loratab, tylenol + ?, does but I don't like to take it. Tylenol alone is useless.

I've taken different fish oils and eaten a ton of salmon and flax over the last 7 years but I don't remember them ever helping with this pain. Any ideas on how long omega 3's stays in our system ? Loratab works for hours.

Omega-3s are tricky. They can last in the system for a very long time, even years, but that does not necessarily help. There are two issues. The first is they get bound into various forms in cell membranes. Their main effects occur when released which is when they can make hormones. During the time after you just consumed some a fair amount of it would be released, and would then become less active once fully absorbed into cells.

The second issue is they are very vulnerable to oxidative stress.They are very easily destroyed and ME and CFS are associated with a lot of oxidative stress.

Walnut omega-3s are short chain fats I think. They will interfere with synthesis of pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid at earlier stages of the synthesis than fish oil (at delta-5 and delta-6 desaturase). So it might just be the kind of anti-inflammatory action that works for you, though I doubt the result would be stable over time.

Essentially the body takes short chain omega fats and turns them into long chain fats, and then makes hormones from them when required. Fish oil starts long chain. Linseed oil is short chain omega-3.

Wallnuts are also a good source of vitamin E and contain lots of powerful phenolic compounds in the skin. It might not even be the omega-3 you find benefiical. Its like a medicine chest in a nut.